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What it takes to make a living in the WNBA

The LA Sparks are considered one of the top teams in the WNBA. Nneka Ogwumike is a power forward on the team. She says the pay is so low that many women play abroad in the off-season. She herself plays in Russia in the winter.

FROM THIS EPISODE

Attorney General Jeff Sessions addressed immigration judges this week, saying, “Asylum was never meant to alleviate all problems, even all serious problems that people face everyday, all over the world.” Sessions says women who claim domestic violence will no longer be granted asylum, and that immigration courts are “overloaded with fake claims.”

We look at the other part of Jeff Sessions’ order: people facing gang violence also won’t qualify for asylum. This mainly affects Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The US Agency for International Development says El Salvador has the world’s highest homicide rate for people under age 19. More than 500 were murdered in 2016.

Food on TV has changed since the Julia Child days. Now there are myriad cooking shows, cooking competition shows, cooking travel shows. Anthony Bourdain, who died last week, had a big role in this change.

The WNBA kicked off its 2018 season last month. The LA Sparks are considered one of the top teams in the league. However, players can’t make a living in the WNBA. 2016 League MVP Nneka Ogwumike is a power forward for the LA Sparks and says the pay is so low that many women play abroad in the off-season. She herself plays in Russia in the winter.

Nneka Ogwumike at KCRW. Photo by Amy Ta.

Nneka Ogwumike (#30) high fives teammate Chelsea Gray (#12) during a game against the Minnesota Lynx on June 3, 2018 at the Staples Center. Photo courtesy of LA Sparks.

Nneka Ogwumike (#30) handles the ball against the Minnesota Lynx on May 20, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo courtesy of LA Sparks.